Geographic study leads to understanding

Monday September 03rd 2007
Filed Under Current Events, Education 

Read this essay by Neal G. Lineback, professor emeritus of geography at Appalachian State University in Boone, on the importance of teaching more that rote memorization of geographic names and places in American education.  Neal Lineback notes in his opening statement:

Most geographic scholars attribute their earliest interest in geography to their exposure to maps and map-reading experiences. This observation has major unappreciated implications for U.S. school curricula.

The drawback, he argues, is that this method of teaching geography has resulted in “at least two or three generations of students have graduated with little appreciation for geography as an analytical technique“.   Neil Lineback concludes “When teachers then resort to rote memorization of place names instead of using maps to show and analyze spatial patterns, huge learning opportunities are lost.”

Source: Winston-Salem Journal



Read More

  • Study finds most U.S. college-aged adults illiterate in geography
  • Study Geography
  • Overview of Geography
  • Geography being left behind?
  • The Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century



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